Ukip: lessons left and right must learn from the Farage surge

You headline your piece on the Ukip surge in local elections in England "What a hoot! How one man has changed British politics" (In Focus). In a sidebar, Ben Page notes that "Ukip and its leader have turned Britain into a four-party state – at least in the media". Let's be clear, it's English politics we're talking about here, though this does have consequences in Scotland, which has been a four-party nation, if not yet a state, for several decades. I accept that one of those four Scottish parties, the Tories, has become a rump at anything other than local elections. I also accept that there are Ukip members in Scotland .

From north of the border, however, what is of greater interest and concern is that the political contest for the heart and soul of England is between two rightwing parties where the argument is moving increasingly rightwards, whereas in Scotland it's between two parties of the centre-left. This acute political and, one would have to say, philosophical divide between Scotland and England is one of the core issues at the heart of the independence movement. The strains induced by a continued move to the right in England, as was seen in the Thatcher years, can only increase the tension.

You should not assume so much about "Britain" on the basis of English election results without taking into consideration the effect of those English results on Scotland and on the nature of the relationship between our two nations.

Roger Emmerson

Edinburgh

The thing that will halt the "Farage surge" is not adopting Ukip policies but the restoration of the economy to health. Ironically, austerity policies are weakening the economy and so contributing to the rise of Ukip. What is needed is a change of policy to promote growth and fairness. Ukip will then wither on the vine. A panicked shift to the right will convince no one and only add impetus to the surge.

Roy Boffy

Walsall

Ukip's appeal is easily explained. Our mainstream parties pretend to differ on the EU but much unites them. They remain committed, as do many Eurosceptic Tory MPs, to the free movement of labour within an ever-expanding, albeit looser, EU.

It was unprincipled, nay immoral, of Labour to have imported cheap labour with the aim of driving down unskilled wages. As for Conservatives, the lure of cheap labour blinded them to the economic burden of a growing underclass.

A necessary condition for getting both the poorly paid and chronically unemployed off benefits is a rise in the minimum wage. Simply curtail immigration and unskilled pay will rise. Achieving a living wage is a small price to pay for anyone concerned about national cohesiveness. It will require stopping immigration from within the EU as well as without.

Yugo Kovach

Winterborne Houghton

Dorset

The success of Ukip means we have four-party politics but with an electoral system that poorly reflects the way people vote. I am not a Ukip voter but I am a member of the Electoral Reform Society and if we really believe in democracy Nigel Farage is right when he suggests a change to a more proportional voting system . More and more MPs and councillors will be elected on 30% of the vote and governments will have majority power with the support of around a third of those who voted.

Many people want real political choice. We need a multi-party system where every person has a vote that counts and representatives are elected in relation to their party's percentage. I wish parties and candidates would stand for what they really believe in and not just what focus groups and polls suggest "Worcester woman" wants in a marginal constituency. Under a different system, candidates could speak with honesty about their principles and have distinct policies. Turnouts will increase and after each election the parties can compromise if they need to form a coalition.